Off The Record
by ConvictionSC
Summary: Companion story to Second In Command and Metamorphosis. An archive of unrelated, humorous, nonsensical ficlets and one-shots. And very romance heavy. Ashley/Colburn, Kaidan/Liara and hinted Garrus/Tali. Also contains scrapped drafts of what I originally wanted to be SIC's content. Interchangeable Shepards. Not fixed and related unless mentioned specifically.


**A/N: Hello my dear readers from Second In Command. As promised, this series of short, non-canon ficlets will contain much, much more fluff, romance, and humour than the main series. There's going to be a lot of Ash/Cole, Kaidan/Liara, as well as Garrus/Tali, though for the last pair... Let's just say I have a thing for teasing badasses.**

**This first chapter, is a reimagining of SIC's chapter 38. I'd already written this out at the time, but I scrapped it and you guys got the second version instead. Hope you guys like it!**

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_Ashley_

"Are you crazy? Get back here!"

"What are you gonna do? Bite me?"

Ashley started to make a mad dash for the Mako, Liara by her side. "Cole, we all want to save Shepard, but you have to wait for backup! That place must be crawling with Reaper forces right now!"

"Don't you get it? The Crucible! If Shepard didn't make it, we'll lose this war! I'm going there to activate it!"

"Wait-". The comm disconnected. Damn it! Just then, the tank's doors opened, revealing a soldier gesturing for them to enter. "Let's go!"

MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD

_Liara_

It was a sight for sore eyes. Rubble was everywhere, piles of debris littered the whole area. "Goddess...". Colburn was nowhere to be seen yet.

"Come on, lets look for-"

"AAHH!". Both hers and Ashley's head snapped back to the blood-curdling scream behind them. There was a loud snap as the Mako's driver crumpled to the ground in a heap. And standing behind him was...

"Hutcherson!". In the blink of an eye, Ashley had her pistol trained on the cybernetically fused abomination. Almost immediately, he biotically tossed her away. The soldier crashed against a burning shuttle, reminding Liara of the mission on Mars, which all seemed so long ago. _Except this time, there was no Colburn to save her._

"I wasn't expecting you two, ladies. But I guess I'll just have to make do.". Hutcherson launched a Warp blast at the Asari, but she easily deflected it with shot of biotic energy, causing a biotic explosion. She tried to trap him with a stasis, but the human had simply brushed it off. He snarled, and, once again, using his biotics, slammed her to the ground. She tried to climb to her feet, but Liara found herself unable to move. _Stasis._

"Stay down!", he ordered. Slowly, Hutcherson walked over to a dazed Ashley, who was still on the ground, propped against her hands, trying to stand. He kicked her in the stomach, causing her to collapse. In a relaxed manner, he took out his pistol and trained it at her temple. Liara stared helplessly as his finger tightened around the trigger. _No... Please..._

Out of nowhere, a ball of bluish-purple light rammed into Hutcherson, and there he was, tumbling and rolling on the gravel-ridden earth. Liara felt the invisible force pinning her down disappear. Instantly, she ran to Ashley. "Ashley!"

"I... I'm okay... I think..."

A loud bang captured their attention once more. _It's Colburn,_ Liara's mind thought. Father and son were going hand-to-hand. Biotic energy was flickering around the both of them. For a moment, Hutcherson had a hand wrapped around the vanguard's throat, but Colburn had activated his Omni-blade, and stabbed the older man in the arm. Hutcherson let out a howl, and with a flick of his good hand, an invisible force tossed his opponent away.

"We have to help him!". Ashley unholstered her Black Widow, and took aim. "Damn it! I can't get a clear shot!". Colburn had launched himself back at his father, the both of them scuffling about again. I have to do something. Scrambling to her feet and running, Liara launched a Throw at an unsuspecting Hutcherson, distracting him for a moment.

"Colburn!". The both of them locked eyes. A look of understanding surfaced from within his eyes. Colburn deliberately allowed his opponent to fling him aside like a ragdoll, effectively exposing the older man as a clear target. Sure enough, less than a second later, a distinct bam burst through the air, and after that, silence...

Only the panting of the three of them could be heard. Colburn walked over to Liara, and extended a hand. She accepted, and he hoisted her up to her feet. They saw Ashley approaching, and the three of them gathered in a big hug. "Man...", he whispered. "That was close."

"Damn sure it was.", Ashley said as they separated.

"Now what?", Liara asked.

"Now... Now we find Shepard."

**A/N: Well, that's version one... Tell me which one you prefer. See ya next time.**

**And remember, you guys can always request for a one-shot/short ficlet. Just tell me what you want me to write about. It can be romance, humour, or some good old Garrus teasing!**


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